Over the years, bakeware has been made from various materials including steel, tin and aluminum. In more recent years, the structural material which comprises the bakeware is coated with a non-stick material which generally requires the use of special hand implements to prevent nicking or scratching of the coating. Even when these special hand implements are used, however, the coating tends to deteriorate through normal wear and tear, such as from washing and storing the bakeware. Such damage to the coating not only detrimentally affects the bakeware's non-stick properties, but the marred finish also is unsightly as it tends to corrode and/or discolor.
In the past, many attempts have to made to manufacture bakeware having a durable, non-stick baking surface, which also, to some extent, minimizes the occurrence, or disguises the appearance, of scratches, nicks, or other damage. For example, some manufacturers have resorted to the use of textured surfaces to hide scratches and other unsightly deformations of the bakeware surface. Such textured surfaces often include a combination of raised portions upon which the food rests and recessed portions which provide airways or channels under the food. Food products that are cooked or baked on these textured surface often release more easily because only a small fraction of the food actually comes into contact with the cooking surface. Further, these textured surfaces minimize the occurrences of scratches which result from using a cooking implement, such as a spatula or a spoon, because only the raised portions of the textured surface will be exposed to the implement's abrasive action. However, it is inherently difficult to utilize non-stick coatings on many of these textured surfaces because they often have sharp edges which either do not hold the coating well, do not coat evenly, or tend to bind or catch a spatula or a cleaning utensil. Accordingly, any coating which does cover the sharp edges will wear quickly, thus rapidly compromising the non-stick benefits offered by the bakeware.
Textured surfaces have also been used in bakeware to lower the fat and cholesterol content of food. In such low-fat applications, the textured surface typically includes channels or recesses to drain fat and grease away from the baking food and which are interspersed among closely spaced raised portions of the baking surface. Although often coated with a non-stick coating, the channels or recesses are difficult to clean because either a cleaning implement cannot easily reach between the closely spaced raised portions of the baking surface or the channels are too deep to effectively reach.
Accordingly, these is a need for a durable, improved cooking or baking surface that easily releases a food product placed thereon. Such a cooking or baking surface would include a combination of raised and recessed portions which provide a minimal food contacting surface area such that food products can be easily released. The raised portions would be sized, spaced and shaped such that the recessed portions of the surface could be easily reached with a cleaning implement. Further, the raised portions of the baking surface would expose only a small fraction of the total baking surface area to a cooking or cleaning implement passed across the surface. Accordingly, the occurrence of scratches would be minimized, thus providing a more durable and attractive baking surface. Further, the raised portions of the textured surface would be shaped such that a non-stick coating can be easily and uniformly applied. Additionally, even if the coating were to be removed from the raised portions of the surface, the surface's non-stick properties would not be significantly compromised since the coating would be removed from only a small fraction of the total baking surface area.